The former treasurer of ODU OUT, Bradley
Bledsoe, was charged with and prosecuted for
felony embezzlement in the sum of $2,800 of the
organization’s private funds.
As treasurer, Bledsoe had sole access to an account with ODU Credit Union containing the
organization’s donation and fundraising money.
Between April and October of 2012, Bledsoe
used the ODU Credit Union debit card under his
name for personal expenses, such as gas, power
and phone bills, food and other miscellaneous
expenses.
ODU OUT didn’t approach the Mace &
Crown with the story until recently because of a
feeling of embarrassment from having their trust
betrayed. They also faced having to notify all
donors that their money was stolen. Making the
story public may have brought unwanted attention at the time.
“We didn’t want to be the talk of the town,”
Connor Norton, president of ODU OUT said.
“We didn’t really want people to know namely
because of the embarrassment of the trust that we
lost.”
The organization began to realize allocating
funds was becoming increasingly more difficult.
Fred Hughes, a former executive board member
of ODU OUT, went to ODU Credit Union to
investigate and discovered the account was virtually empty.
Bledsoe was confronted on his financial misconduct the day before ODU Pride Fest, one of
the biggest events of the year for the organization.

He denied the accusation but didn’t appear at the
event the following day, reinforcing the suspicion
of his peers. ODU OUT filed charges against
Bledsoe with the Old Dominion University Police Department on Oct. 17, 2012.

TOTAL MONEY EMBEZZLED
$2,823.89
BETWEEN
APRIL- OCTOBER 2012
Attempts to contact Bledsoe were unsuccessful.
The incident took a harsh toll on the organization. Norton and Hughes were left wondering
how such a betrayal got past their notice for so
long.
It started to make sense when they looked back
and recalled odd jokes Bledsoe made regarding
financial indiscretion and how he would look disagreeable in orange, alluding to jumpsuits worn
by prison inmates. They had also noticed Bledsoe
becoming more aggressive and controlling in his
position and having a generally tense demeanor,
something uncharacteristic of Bledsoe.
“The person we grew to trust and grew to know
in the beginning was not the person who did this
to use in the end. He changed,” Norton said. “It
slowly dawned on us that the reason he was cracking the whip so hard was that… the money that
we were making was his money.”
In one instance, Bledsoe attempted to use
budget money appropriated by SGA to purchase
a plane ticket for a Milwaukee based LGBTQ ac-

tivist so he could attend an event sponsored by
ODU OUT.
Norton was skeptical because Bledsoe had a
more personal relationship with this person and
figured Bledsoe had ulterior motives.
“On paper it made sense but we were all like,
‘we know why you’re trying to bring him in.’ We’re
not going to spend SGA money on a booty call,”
Norton said.
Norton and Hughes suffered academically
from having to pick up the pieces and put them
back together. Financially, things were tight. However, the ODU OUT showed great resolve and
gave “pride” new context.
“We didn’t want handouts,” Norton said. “The
money we had left we wanted to make work…
without having to play the pity card. We were
scrapping and saving where we could. We had to
downsize some of our events, shrink them a little
bit or not spend money where we wanted to because, essentially, we wanted to continue operating within SGA’s appropriated budget.”
Bledsoe was impeached from his position on
Oct. 16, 2012. ODU OUT closed the account
with ODU Credit Union and Bledsoe agreed to
pay the money back after judicial hearings at the
Norfolk General District Court on Feb. 25, 2013.
Bledsoe had no previous criminal charges.
Simply paying the money back would have reduced the charges to a misdemeanor but Bledsoe’s lawyer reached a deal with ODU OUT to
have Bledsoe return the money without pressing
charges. Essentially, Bledsoe provided an admission of guilt and the return of the stolen $2,800 in
Bradley Bledsoe had sole access to an account containing ODU OUT’s donaexchange for a pardon.
Bledsoe no longer attends Old Dominion Uni- tion and fundraising money which he used to cover personal expenses, like
gasoline, food, power and cell phone bills.
versity.

J. Robert DuBois is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and author of “Powerful Peace: A Navy
SEAL’s Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime at War.”

It can be hard to imagine the requirements and mental resolve needed to work in
war zones or around them. Men like J. Rob
DuBois are responsible for preparing our
soldiers as well as the soldiers of the U.K and
Iraqi armies for combat situations.
Fashionably late, the retired Navy SEAL
spoke at ODU about the balance of soft
and hard power when considering combat
situations. Soft power is the use of coercion through speech or mere show of force.
Strong power is the use of force to end a situation, or as DuBois put it, “putting bullets in
his face.” Both are required in the theatre of
war and are exclusively useful in a variety of
situations. Strong force is useful when death
is certain, such as in an encounter with a suicide bomber, and soft is useful in situations
that can be managed.
DuBois’ job as a Navy SEAL was car-

tography, but after he retired in 2006, he assumed a different role. It was his job to think
like the enemy or “become the terrorist” as
he said in his speech. After this, he was to instruct forces on how to think like terrorists.
He does this so that our forces and foreign
forces can engage and defeat the terrorist
threat. Sun Tzu was the first to conceptualize this philosophy of, “If you know your
enemies and know yourself, you will not be
imperiled in a hundred battles.”
DuBois is also the author of novel “Powerful Peace.” He said it’s more about peace
building rather than a guide for combat
preparation. In the novel, he speaks to the
trauma that war can inflict upon children.
In his chapter “Harm.” he shares a chilling
example of two Iraqi girls being wounded
in a car bomb near a school. He writes, “My
heart doesn’t ache for these children. It explodes. Forcing out burning tears, my heart
explodes like the car bomb that tore them
and their playmates apart.” His book is now
available for sale in the ODU bookstore.

In addition to understanding the enemy,
the book also speaks on understanding people. DuBois suggests that knowing “there is
value in any point of view” can improve your
outlook on life, and improve your interpersonal skills. DuBois admits that he failed in
implementing this within his personal life.
Admitting that he had not realized he had
been forward deployed 36 months out of
48. However, realizing this helped him understand the stress his wife had been going
through and it strengthened his marriage.
He extended this philosophy of knowing
the other side to political tension in the U.S.
Stating, “Any wasted energy is a shame. If we
stop fighting ourselves and unify our energies we can accomplish so much more.”
DuBois’ speech became emotional once
he began speaking on the events of Sept.
11, 2001. DuBois spoke about the rage he
felt and took lengthy pauses as he described
watching the plane hit the second tower.
DuBois states, “If any of our fellow SEALS
had laughed or shown any pleasure at what
continued on A3

By: Jessica Scheck
Assistant News Editor
Mace & Crown
The Student Government Association election results are finally in. Voting
was facilitated through orgsync.com on
March 26 and 27. The results were posted Thursday evening after the winning
candidates were notified. The new officers will replace the 2012-2013 officers
Mariam Abdelhamid, Ashton Gray, Maya
Shelton, Otis Johnson and Collin Hust.
President: Collin Hust is in his junior
year studying criminal justice and military leadership and will now represent
SGA as the president of the student body.
Hust has been heavily involved in many
programs at ODU, including acting as

the president for the Aviation Club, leading as an assistant training officer in the
HRNROTC program, helping found the
Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and serving as the
group’s philanthropy director for Push
America. Hust was involved in the SGA
prior to this election as the Speaker of the
Senate.
Vice President: Jared Mays, a political
science major, isn’t new to leadership. Before being voted as the new vice president
of SGA, Mays gained experience working
with students as a resident assistant and
executive board member and bass player
for the ODU Ebony Gospel Choir. He
also graduated from ODU’s LeaderShape
program. Mays was a Senator for the
SGA, serving the Safety and Transportation Committee. Mays hopes to use his

prior experiences to work alongside the
student body and be a voice for students
to tackle tough issues that are important
to student life here at ODU.
Secretary: Nicole Randolph studies
information technology and served as
a Senator in the SGA, giving her insight
into the day-to-day tasks of SGA. She also
was a member of the National Society for
Black Engineers, a committee member
for Colleges Against Cancer and a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
Treasurer: Saman Aghaebrahim, a rising senior biology major, was selected as
the new treasurer for the SGA. He strives
to be involved in the many organizations
ODU has to offer. Since starting at ODU,
Aghaebrahim was part of the Computer

Science Department, and is currently a
brother in the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
He also volunteered with Serious Fun
Camps in North Carolina, helping disabled children.
Speaker: Currently in his junior year at
ODU, Terrell Kingwood studies political
science and economics. Before receiving the position of the speaker of SGA,
Kingwood served as a Senator. He is a
member of the Pre-Law Association and
board member of the ODU Governmental Relations Board. With a list of experiences with the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S.
Department of Defense and the City of
Hampton, Kingwood is highly involved
in all the organizations he belongs to.

Timothy J Motley, Stiffler Professor of Botany, Dies at 47
By: Derek Page
News Editor
Mace & Crown
Timothy J. Motley, the J. Robert Stiffler Distinguished Professor of Botany at
Old Dominion University and director of
science at the Norfolk Botanical Garden
(NBG), died of a heart attack Thursday,
March 28. He was 47.
“His death is a great loss to botany at
ODU,” said Lytton J. Musselman, the
university’s Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany and former department
chair who recruited Motley almost a year
ago, “He will be missed by his botanical
colleagues, fellow faculty and especially
students.”
Motley was raised on a farm in central
Illinois and became interested in plants
and gardening at an early age. He earned
a bachelor’s and master’s degree in botany
at Eastern Illinois University and completed his doctoral work at the University

of Hawaii, Manoa. His core research was
based on the Pacific Ocean.
“I am intrigued by how these remote
islands became populated by plants and
animals, and what the relationships are

between plants that occur on separate
islands or archipelagos,” he said in an interview shortly after coming to ODU in
2006.
Motley secured adjunct faculty affili-

ations with prominent American higher
educational institutions such as Columbia and Yale University as well as institutions in China, Spain and India.
“Tim had a gift, unusual among plant
scientists, of being able to communicate
botany with the general public, an ability
he used both at the [Norfolk Botanical]
Garden and in teaching undergraduate
courses at ODU,” Mussleman said. “His
Ethnobotany course, dealing with the diverse ways humans use plants, was always
popular and filled up soon after registration.”
Motley is survived by his wife, Tatyana
Lobova, a lecturer in ODU’s Department
of Biological Sciences, and his 2-year-old
son, Anton.
For a more in-depth look at the life of
Timothy J. Motely, visit http://odu.edu/
news/2013/3/timothy_j_motley_
Information for this obituary was compiled from News @ ODU

Letter From the Editor
Readers of the Mace & Crown,
Thank you to all that applied to the open positions on
staff. I had planned on closing the application process on
April 1, but some positions still have not received any
applications. If you are still interested in working at the
school paper we are currently hiring for five positions on
the Editorial Board.
We are looking for a news editor, arts & entertainment
editor, copy editor, graphic designer and webmaster. The
specific details of each position can be found on our
website on the top menu bar. If you wish to apply, please

send a resume and cover letter to editorinchief@maceandcrown.com. All of the positions are paid but you must
go through the application process before obtaining the
positions.
I have some unfortunate news for our readers. I will be
stepping down as editor-in-chief starting April 1. Derek
Page will be the Editor-in-Chief as previously stated in
my weekly address. I wish him the best of luck and great
success at the paper. He is a great student leader and will
take the paper further than I ever could have.
As always, we meet every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. in the

U-Center, located across from the Card Center in Webb.
We welcome anyone who has a passion for reading, writing, editing and photography. Join our Orgsync page for
updates and meeting reminders.
Lastly, if you wish to advertise with the Mace &
Crown please contact James Porter II at advertising@
maceandcrown.com. He can supply information on advertising costs and the classified section.
For one last time,
Megan Jefferson
Editor-in-Chief

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | A3

Faculty Members Awarded QEP Grants to Improve Disciplinary Writing
MORE THAN $78K IN GRANTS AWARDED FOR FOUR
MEMBERS TO ENHANCE THEIR WRITING PROGRAMS
By: Brian Jerry
Senior Writer
Mace & Crown
Four faculty members from three Old
Dominion colleges have been awarded
more than $78,000 in internal grants to design plans to improve disciplinary writing in
their programs.
The inaugural grants are called ODU’s
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). These
plans are important to the school’s accreditation initiative under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
ODU’s QEP is designed to improve upper
division undergraduate students’ disciplinary writing, one that demonstrates a reasoning process supported by researching and
reflecting on a problem, topic or issue.
Lead recipients include assistant professor of counseling and human services Laurie
Craigen, lecturer of teaching and learning
Jennifer Kidd, associate professor of biological sciences Chris Osgood, and lecturer of
English Elizabeth Vincelette.
“We were very excited about the quality
of the proposals we received and are even
more enthusiastic about seeing the recipients bring their projects to light. Improving
Disciplinary Writing is an invaluable endeavor and these projects are further evidence
that many of our colleagues are willing to
find creative ways to support their academic

Word Is...

North Korea Declares War on South
Korea
North Korea entered a “state of war” with
neighboring South Korea according to a
report from the state-run Korean Central
News Agency on Saturday. The report included a threat to “dissolve” the U.S. mainland.
Pyongyang asserted it “will not limit (itself) to limited warfare but to all-out-war
and nuclear war.”
“We will first target and dissolve mainland United states, Hawaii and Guam, and
United States military based in South Korea,” the KCNA report said.
U.S. officials remain concerned but don’t
see the threats as anything new.
“I think their very provocative actions
and belligerent tone, it has ratcheted up the
danger, and we have to understand that reality,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said
Thursday.
HRT to consider changes after review
Students that take full advantage of the
365Go Pass offered by the Office of Parking and Transportation services may have
to find an alternative to using the Hampton
Roads Transit system in the future.
CEO and president of the HRT Wil-

programs, our students and this initiative,”
director of writing and faculty development
(QEP director) Remica Bingham-Risher
said in a statement.
Craigen leads a project entitled Human
Services Program Initiatives. Co-investors
of the initiatives include assistant professor
of counseling and human services Narketta
Sparkman and associate professor of counseling and human services Jill Dustin. Her
project is designed to create one new writing assignment and rubric for each of the
10 core courses in the program to improve
consistency and quality in the Undergraduate Human Services Program at ODU.
Kidd’s project is entitled “Project6: A
Program-based Portfolio and Professional
Development Project to Improve PreService Teachers’ Writing Performance.”
During the program, she plans to improve
pre-service teachers’ writing by providing
professional development to faculty teaching courses in the PreK6 program, engaging
preK6 faculty in the collaborative department of interrelated writing assignments
focused on the central time of diversity and
developing a digital repository to facilitate
interaction with student writing across the
preK6 program.
Osgood’s proposal and title is aimed toward “Training Writing Fellows in the College of Sciences to Support W Course.” He
is assisted by lecturer of psychology Amy

Landers. They plan to offer an intensive,
week-long summer workshop with the aim
of improving instruction in the writing intensive (W) courses offered in biology and
psychology by incorporating best practices
highlighted in the QEP Faculty Workshops.
The workshop will attract faculty currently
or potentially involved in offering writing
intensive courses, teaching assistants drawn
from the two departments and undergraduate peer educators.
Finally, Vincellette’s project, “Screencasting to Foster Formative Assessment”
anchors a team that consists of Kidd and
assistant professor of professional writing
Timothy Bostic. “Improving Undergraduate Disciplinary Writing” plans to recruit
faculty from across the university who teach
upper-level undergraduate writing intensive
courses and teach them to use Screencast
(video screen capture) technology to provide formative feedback on student writing.
ODU’s QEP was created to enhance skill
in writing, which is demonstrated by six student learning outcomes that will be assessed
through evaluation of written artifacts. The
university’s QEP emerged from analysis of
the ODU’s institutional effectiveness data
and from campus and community-wide
conversations with faculty, staff, students,
alumni and employers.

3/22

liam Harrell is working on making changes
within the finances of the transit system,
which may include getting rid of the 365Go
program all together, forcing students to pay
for regular passes individually.
The HRT has two years to bring itself out
of the “red zone.” If their finances don’t improve within that time, there is a possibility
that they will go broke.

ulty information, class sizes, graduation rates
and surveys of the schools’ leaders, find this
false information could change the reliability
of the data as a whole.

3/25

Former US soldier arrested with using
RPG for al Qaeda group
A former U.S. soldier charged with illegally using a weapon in connection with an al
Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria was arrested
last Tuesday night.
FBI agents took Eric Harroun, 30, into
custody at a hotel near Washington Dulles
International Airport in Virginia. Harroun
appeared in federal court Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia and was charged in connection to the alleged use of a reocket-propelled
grenade in Syria against Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The law used to charge him states, “Any
national of the United States who, without
lawful authority, uses or threatens, attempts,
or conspires to use a weapon of mass destruction outside of the U.S. shall be imprisoned for any terms of years or for life, or if
death results, may be punished by death.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on
Harroun’s arrest. However, “It’s always a
concern when terrorist networks in that part
of the world and elsewhere seek to recruit
Americans, whether they’re in the military or not,” spokesman George Little told
CNN’s Erin Burnett.

Falsified Data Raised Concerns about
Ranking and Reputation of Five US Secondary Schools
Five colleges to include Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, George Washington
University in Washington, D.C., Claremont
McKenna College in California and Emory
University in Atlanta have admitted to exaggerating their statistics to U.S. News and
World Report, a leader in providing statistics about higher education and college
rankings.
The school falsified information mainly
regarding the high school rankings of their
incoming freshman and inflated the SAT
scores of the new students. Editors for
the U.S. News and World Report have expressed concerns about the false data, stating
that most of the competition between the
nation’s schools revolves directly around the
rankings and information about the schools.
Although the U.S. News relies on many
other factures for their rankings such as fac-

continued from “Dubois” (A1)
we were witnessing I would have killed him
on the spot.”
After Mr. DuBois’ speech, the film “Zero
Dark Thirty” was shown. The film tells the
story of the hunt for terrorists around the
globe by the CIA and it shows the inner
workings of how intelligence is produced

CRIMELOG

for the military. The film culminates with a
raid by Navy SEALs on the compound that
housed Osama Bin Laden for months while
he evaded American capture.
The film was criticized during release for
potentially releasing valuable intelligence
relating to the practices of the CIA and pos-

sibly releasing classified intelligence relating
to the subject. However, these claims were
never substantiated and the film went on
to win more than 54 awards, including an
Oscar and AFI award for Movie of the Year.

If you stay an extra semester
for those 2-3 classes you need
to graduate, you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just
paying for tuition and student
activity fee but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also
paying for:

Block 225/Block 160 Meal Plan
Room (Quad Average Cost)
General Service Fee
Student Health Fee
Transportation Fee
Total
*Many students can graduate a semester early or on
time if they properly plan
their schedules accordingly
with their advisors.

1,928
2,892
9
71
50
4950

Cost of staying an extra year
4,950 x 2 = 9,900

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | B1

MACEANDCROWN.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

For Women, By Women
OLD DOMINION HOLDS SIXTH ANNUAL LUNAFEST

Established in 2000 by the makers of the LUNA nutrition bars for women, Lunafest connects women, their stories and their causes through film.
non-profit organizations throughout the na- she paved the way for women cyclists. Other Zealander woman who finally reached fulBy: Nephthalie Lauture
featured film, “Self Portrait with Cows Go- fillment after a life filled with constant disaption and Canada.
Staff Writer
The sixth annual short film festival was ing Home and Other Works,” shed light on pointment.
Mace & Crown
Lastly came the heartfelt and comedic
created “by, for and about women.” Taking the life of acclaimed contemporary photogODU welcomed the sixth annual Lunaf- place at the University Theatre, the films rapher Sylvia Plachy. Short animated film, film, “Lunchdate,” which tells the story of
touched on the many and common adver- “The Bathhouse,” focused on working class a young woman who endures a difficult
est film festival on Wednesday, March 28.
Lunafest was founded in 2000 by the sities the modern woman endures daily. women finding solace in a bathhouse para- breakup by her ex-boyfriend who sent his
14 year-old half-brother to do it for him, but
food company LUNA, who are known for Along with the Women’s Center, several dise.
Other short films that were shown told ended up bonding with the young boy and
creating whole nutrition health bars for sponsors collaborated including No Woman
women. The company wanted to celebrate Left Behind, ODU Out, our universities stories of a single mother juggling multiple turned a tragedy into a blessing.
The films were well received by the authe achievements and sacrifice of women very own LGBT club and Colleges Against jobs so that she could pave the way for a better life for her daughter, a woman who took dience members and ODU sophomore
through art while bringing awareness to Cancer.
“Georgena Terry” was a six minute film her chemotherapy treatment and used it to Meaha Karlow, who excitedly said, “I felt rewomen issues. They also wanted to promote
female filmmakers and support numerous following the founder of Terry Bicycles as create something beautiful and of a New ally connected to the women in the stories.

Women Slam Back for History

POETRY SLAM IN HONOR FOR
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
By: Kadeem Porter
Staff Writer
Mace & Crown
Some say words are the strongest thing
a human can manifest. Hoping to give students a platform to share this manifestation,
the Black Student Alliance and the Women’s
Center hosted a poetry slam and open mic
night on Thursday, March 28.
Held in Mills Godwin, the poetry slam
and open mic event was the last of ODU’s
Women’s Center’s Women’s History Month
events. Hosts Timiaiah Smith and Brianna
Cail said the event was “inspired by women
not getting recognized in history.” The event
had about 30 people in attendance. The poetry slam consisted of two rounds and prizes
were sponsored by the bookstore. Prizes
were given to the contestants who were
chosen as winners via the crowd’s applause.
The first place winner received a writer’s kit,
which can help potential writers prepare to
be published.
Kim Morris, president of ODU’s poetry and spoken word organization Floetic
Movement, was the first to get on stage and
perform two poems. The first poem, titled

“Women in Corsets,” used clever wordplay
and vowel repetition to display lines such
as, “comfortably accustomed to being a custom.” Her second poem, “An Honest Poem,”
was loved by the crowd, so much that they
declared her the winner of the first round.
After the poetry slam, audience members were invited to participate in an open
mic night. The open mic night forum was
less formal and intimidating. Each person
introduced him or herself as a last minute
addition. The poems read were titled “Reflections in the Mirror”, “Idle” and “Kiss
Bang Pow.” Before the event ended, sponsors allowed any audience member to say
a few words on why women should be appreciated.
Women’s History Month began in 1981
as a national celebration. One year later, the
celebration was extended to a week. After
being petitioned by the National Women’s
History Project, Congress passed a public
law declaring the entire month of March
Women’s History Month. Since then Congress has passed additional resolutions that
request and authorize the president to declare March Women’s History Month.

The poetry slam was the last event held by the Women’s Center for Women’s History Month.

It just felt good. I don’t really know how to
describe it.”
All of the proceeds of Lunafest went to
the Breast Cancer fund and the YMCA of
South Hampton Roads. To learn more
about Lunafest and their work or to acquire
more information on the films showed that
evening, visit Lunafest.org. To keep in touch
with the event’s sponsors, visit the ODUWomenCenter page on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | B2

Five Stages, Fifty Bands

HAMPTON ROADS WELCOMES MUSIC 4 MORE
By: Dominique Bailey
Asst. Arts and Entertainment Editor
Mace & Crown
The Baltimore-based charity organization Music 4 More hosted its first music festival in Chesapeake this past weekend.
On March 29 and 30, Hampton Roads
welcomed this festival, launched in 2009.
Music 4 More is a charity organization that
focuses on collecting donated instruments
and recycling them into schools and community music programs.
This two-day festival was hosted at the VA
Live Entertainment Complex on Military
Highway and all proceeds will help provide
instruments to schools that are in need. Each
day, attendees were treated to performances
by an array of local musicians.
Local favorite and Virginia natives, The
Hunts, performed on Friday night. Composed of seven brothers and sisters, The
Hunts are an indie-folk band from Chesapeake. The Hunts fill each stage they touch
with a variety of stringed instruments, heartpounding rhythms and harmonies. In addition to their work within the music realm,

The Hunts also participate in mission works.
The seven siblings traveled to Haiti in 2012
and organized a two-week music camp for
Haitian children. Since their visit, The Hunts
have incorporated their work in Haiti into
their live shows.
Norfolk-based funk-reggae group Malt
Liquor Sundae also performed on Friday
night. Inspired by their love for music and
funk, the six-member band formed in 2011,
and have been jamming ever since. Since
their formation, Malt Liquor Sundae has
performed at a variety of venues throughout
the Hampton Roads area, including Old
Dominion’s campus. Malt Liquor Sundae
prides themselves in blending good vibes
with funk, reggae and rock music. They will
be near campus, playing at the re-opening of
Night of the Iguana on April 5.
In addition to numerous bands, Saturday’s attendees were also treated to the
sounds of SoulStice Reb’l and Artel Carter.
SoulStice Reb’l is a quartet that merges
genres like hip-hop, reggae and rock. This
local band prides themselves in promoting
lyricism and musicianship as they display
their talent through heartfelt music that

encourages positivity and unity. Also that
week, SoulStice Reb’l was the feature band
at Old Dominion’s Floetic Movement’s annual event, The Lounge. Currently, SoulStice Reb’l is competing for a spot to audition for this year’s upcoming Warped Tour.
Artel Carter is a hip-hop artist from
Virginia Beach. He infuses his music with
“beachy” fun while delivering consistent lyrics that all listeners can vibe out to. In 2012,
Carter released the mix tape “Fresh.” “Fresh”
featured Carter’s fit single, “Best Week Ever,”
which earned him airtime on local station
Z104. Since the release of “Fresh,” Carter has
performed at a variety of venues throughout
the state. As he continues to deliver music,
Carter is becoming synonymous with the
Hampton Roads hip-hop scene.
Although a Hampton Roads import, Music 4 More is an organization that promotes
the local music scene, while also uplifting
communities throughout the country. For
more information about Music 4 More and
their mission, visit music4more.org.
For more information on other featured
artists, visit their Facebook pages or personal
websites.

Music 4 More’s focus is collecting instrument donations and recycling them into struggling
school and community music programs

ODU Alumni Releases National Album
By: Alli Terres
Web Master
Mace & Crown
Old Dominion Alumni and Virginia Beach native,
Zach Hardison, is making a name for himself in the local
and national Christian rock scene. After years of dedicated work his first national album, “Hope I’m Yours,”
released on Tuesday.
Hardison describes his personal sound as Christian
Rock/Pop with R&B influences. He first picked up the
violin at the young age of four from the encouragement
of his mother. “It was clear at a very young age that music
was an inherent part of me,” he said. He started playing
guitar in high school and has been writing songs ever
sense.
Hardison graduated from ODU in Dec. 2002 and
studied Creative Writing and Russian. After graduation,
he dedicated himself to excelling in his music career.
“By most standards, this should have happened ten
years ago,” he said about his initiation into Tate Music
Group last year. After years of hard work, promoting and
writing songs, and a “hard kick in the pants,” he received
two music label offers at the same time and decided to
sign with Tate Music in March of 2012.
On top of numerous upcoming local shows, “we are
being fielded for a national tour in Nashville in May and
will be sharing our music in Brussels, Belgium and South
Africa in July,” he said.
The “we” Hardison is referring to is his new band as of
January 2013. The band includes ODU student Thomas
Guglielmo on drums, Ryan Mekkes on electric guitar
and Josh Jones on bass.
Musical influences come everywhere from Hardison’s
life, but he considers his childhood as a preacher’s son
and education at a Christian school to be one of the biggest inspirations. “The concepts were rattling around in
my brain for years before anything began to take root,” he
said. There were specific experiences that he considers to
have shaped his knowledge into faith.

“The Bible has much to say about my dilemma and
offers solutions. My songwriting has been integral in the
examination of my life and my journey out of hopelessness,” he said. Another unlikely inspiration to his music
includes a four-month stay in Ukraine, which has helped
him build a loyal Ukrainian fan-base.
Although Hardison and his band are excited
about the release of their new album, they are most look-

ing forward to their upcoming live performances. “The
album is great, but we sound even better live,” he said.
So far, their most memorable moment was playing at
Busch Gardens in August 2012. It was the biggest stage
they had ever been on. “My band has a blast playing on
rehearsal nights, but once you add some enthusiastic
fans to the mix, that’s when the party happens,” he said.
From interacting with the audience to learning how a

Hardison’s debut album is set to release nationally on April 2.

specific song has a deep meaning for someone in the
crowd, Hardison most enjoys the live performance aspect of music.
The album, “Hope I’m Yours,” is available online and
in stores around the area. Hardison’s favorite song from
the new album is “Wash Over Me.” Even though it is the
simplest song on the CD, it is about his wife, “and the
subject doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | B3

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or just a huge fan of the paper, we need
you! Come to the Mace & Crown meetings
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FACULTY EXPERTISE
Stephen Gordon
Public procurement

Department of Urban Studies & Public
Administration
Academic Programs:
Undergraduate Minor in Public Service
Master of Public Administration
ONLINE Graduate Certificate in Public Procurement &
Contract Management
Ph.D. in Public Administration & Urban Policy

The last name Verlander should ring a
bell for anyone who follows baseball. Major League Baseball fans immediately think
of Justin Verlander, superstar pitcher for the
Detroit Tigers.
Well, there’s another Verlander who is beginning to receive a lot of notability for finding his own niche at hitting.
Ben Verlander has not just sat in his
brother’s shadow. He has stepped up to the
plate and has been performing exceedingly
well at the college level of baseball play, with
his offensive statistics ranking near the top
nationally in almost every category. Thanks
to the stellar way that he is playing, he won’t
be known as “Justin’s little brother” for much
longer.
“I think he is part of the reason why I
am where I am today. He would never let
me win at anything. He’s nine years older
than me and I could never win anything.
We’d be in the backyard playing basketball
and he wouldn’t even let me get one point.
We’re the most competitive family there is.
If there’s a spot that we’re walking to, we’ll
race to it.” One competition that seems like
it would be no problem for Ben is a home
run derby because unlike his brother, he has
shown that he is one heck of a hitter.
Baseball is something that Verlander has
been around his entire life. “From a very
young age, I grew up around baseball. My
brother was playing every day of his life and
I grew up going to games and watching him
play. I’ve just always known that I wanted to
be a baseball player.” He may have chosen to
come to his brother’s alma mater, but he is
surely making a name for himself and gaining a fan following while doing so.
Coming out of high school, Verlander
was selected in the forty-sixth round of the
MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers in 2010,
but opted to bring his talents to Old Dominion University on an athletic scholarship.
He initially came to Old Dominion as a
pitcher, but now as a junior is playing first
baseman and outfielder. “I was doing both
my first two years here. At the end of last
year I sat down and talked with coach and
we just decided that for me to be the best at
one thing I should pick something and just
go with it and strive to become the best at it.”
He obviously hit that decision out of the
park because he is good for a very impressive

batting average of .443 in the 2013 season
thus far. He leads the Colonial Athletic Association with eight homers on the season.
Verlander was recently honored as the
Colonial Athletic Association Co-player of
the week for a second time after hitting .632
with two homers, six runs scored and three
RBIs against Towson and Virginia State.

I think he is part of the
reason why I am where I
am today. He would never let me win at anything.
He’s nine years older
than me and I could never win anything. We’d
be in the backyard playing basketball and he
wouldn’t even let me
get one point. We’re the
most competitive family
there is. If there’s a spot
that we’re walking to,
we’ll race to it.
Earlier this month, he tied an Old Dominion baseball record by hitting three homers.
He also added seven RBIs that game which
was one short of a school record.
“I actually didn’t know until after the
game when we were high-fiving each other
in the middle of the field and they came over
the loud speaker and said that I had gotten
into the record books with three homeruns
in a game against Northeastern and I honestly had no idea during the game so it was
cool.”
That surely won’t be the last time that Verlander breaks a record during his flourishing
baseball career. This is just the beginning for
Ben Verlander.
Ben Verlander has hit eight homeruns through out the first half of the season.

On Wednesday, March 27 2013, the lacrosse Lady Monarchs of Old Dominion
took on the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers at the
L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The game started
off with high intensity from both teams.
Early on, the Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead, but
the Lady Monarchs were quick to respond
when Emily Austerberry scored Old Dominion’s first goal of the game. With life

brought back to the Monarchs, the hunger
of both teams became present. Constant
back and forth goals were scored between
the two teams and at the nine minute mark,
Christina Rea of the Old Dominion Monarchs, scored their first leading goal making
it 6-5. By the end of the nail biting first half,
there was a single goal differential between
the two teams with the score of 8-7, the Cavilers in the lead.
Despite the satisfying results the Lady
Monarchs entered the half time with, the
second half took a turn for the worst almost

as soon as the final 30 minutes began. Three
minutes into the half, Virginia’s, Morgan
Stephens, scored their ninth goal, which
was followed by another five back-to-back
Virginia goals, making it 7-14. However, that
did not bring the Monarchs down a single
notch. With only eight minutes remaining,
Lady Monarch, Christina Rea, scored the
team’s ninth goal, once again bringing hope
to the Monarchs’ side. Though Virginia responded almost immediately scoring a goal
in the seven-minute mark, that still could
not bring down Old Dominion and the life

of the team was at its highest. Within the last
four minutes of the game, four goals were
scored, three of which were by Old Dominion. Though the Monarchs made a vigorous
and heartfelt effort to make a comeback,
they lost to the Cavalries with a final score
of 16-12.
In spite of the finishing result, the team
remained confident and positive after the
tough second half. Sophomore midfielder
and leading game scorer, with a total of five
goals, Christina Rea, said, “After the halftime, we came out overconfident and with
little urgency.” She further continued, responding to the sudden roar of goals in the
last eight minutes and said, “Our urgency

increased and we attacked the goal more.”
Despite the unfortunate loss, the Lady Monarchs remain positive and are ready to take
on the Cavaliers in the future. When asked
how the team needs to go out the next time
they face Virginia, sophomore midfielder,
Ashmore Standing, said, “The next time we
play them, we just need to come out stronger
and continue keeping a motivated and positive attitude like we did tonight.”
The Lady Monarchs are set to play another game this week on Friday, April 5 at 7
p.m., here at Old Dominion’s L.R. Hill Complex against Hofstra. Make sure to come out
and support the Lady Monarchs.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | C2

Old Dominion Women’s Tennis Served Another Crushing Defeat
GAINING THE EARLY POINT IN DOUBLES PROVES TO BE A KEY FACTOR IN THE SEAHAWKS’ VICTORY
By: Eric Guy
Staff Writer
Mace & Crown
The boisterous roar of a monarch was nowhere to be found Thursday evening as the
UNCW Seahawks muted the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs 5-2 at Folkes-Stevens
Tennis Center.
Coming off a 6-1 thrashing courtesy of
Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday afternoon, one would expect the Lady Monarchs
to rebound in convincing fashion as they
have in the majority of matches this season.
However, the Seahawks were determined to
thwart anything of the aforementioned, winning four out of six matches in singles play,
all the while winning three of the four in
straight sets. As a result, the Lady Monarchs
drop to 9-7 on the season.
Early on in doubles play, the Lady Monarchs looked poised for an evening of jubilation as Diana Ivanova and Nikol Hristova
“put it in gear” against UNCW’s Olga Blank
and Christine Kharkevich, racing to an impressive 8-1 finish in their doubles match.
Soon after, however, things plummeted
south, as UNCW’s tandem of Angie Sekely
and Alyssa Ritchie outlasted Juliana Pires
and Melissa Esnal Olguin, 8-6.
Not to be overlooked, the doubles match
of Ivana Vukovic and Nika Khmolovska
against Kelly Cameron and Miller Hales
proved to be key in how the Lady Monarchs
performance would taper off throughout the

evening, as the two fell apart late, allowing
Cameron and Hales to clinch the doubles
point for the Seahawks in a thrilling 9-8 tiebreak.
In collegiate tennis, it is commonplace for
spectators and players alike to overlook just
how key garnering the point in doubles play
really is. Nonetheless, the opening point can
simply turn out to be the dreaded one that
got away, one in which can ultimately serve
as the deciding factor in the outcome of the
overall match. For the Lady Monarchs, giving up the first point of the evening to the Seahawks did indeed set the tone, fueling the
Seahawks’ engine. “Sometimes you want to
play the doubles point up like it’s really big
or sometimes you want to play it down like
it isn’t a really big deal, but typically it goes
with whether you win the point or not,” said
Lady Monarchs’ head coach Dominic Manilla. “There is a little bit of a momentum
swing, but it’s really just one point when you
need four.”
For something that is “just one point,” it
definitely proves to be somewhat of a boost
for the recipient of it, and for the Seahawks,
it was just that.
In singles play, Cameron delivered an
early punch, downing Pires 6-2, 6-1, giving
UNCW a 2-0 advantage. Soon after however, Ivanova came up big for ODU, making
quick work of UNCW’s Christina Riley, 6-1,
6-3.
Following Ivanova’s victory, the Lady
Monarchs would go on to lose three of the

last four matches, including a bitter 4-6, 6-4,
8-10 loss for Ivana Vukovic.
Currently on a two match skid, the Lady
Monarchs look to work out the kinks before
Saturday’s showdown against a thoroughly
impressive Delaware squad that boasts a record of 7-2 on the season. For Manilla and

his team, maintaining their composure and
confidence is vitally important in order to
come out victorious not only against Delaware, but against the rest of their opponents
this season. “We need to find a way to stay
more positive during the matches,” said
Manilla. “We need to use our confidence be-

cause sometimes we can lose to teams that
are less talented than we are. Hats off to hardworking teams, but we have to find the right
mix where our talent can shine.”

Norfolk Welcomes You: Women’s Basketball Championship Regional to Be Held in Norfolk
By: Mitchell Brown
Senior Writer
Mace & Crown
What time of the year is better than now
for the avid sports fan? Opening day right
around the corner, the upset-galore that is
March Madness, and playoff time is rapidly
approaching for the hardwood and ice rinks.
What I just listed is possibly the second
Christmas of each year. Norfolk is receiving
a gift this Saturday and Tuesday: The 2013
Women’s NCAA Tournament will bring
the show to the campus of Old Dominion
University and the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The thirty-first edition of the
championship gauntlet tipped off on March
21. The opening rounds went as routine as
could be. In the first round, the higher seeds
went 28-4. Skylar Diggins, Elizabeth Williams, Carolyn Davis and Jordan Hooper
will lead their respective teams in to the Ted
to try and advance to the coveted Final Four
to take place in New Orleans, Louisiana
April 7 and 9.
Notre Dame (33-1) is the top seed coming into the regional, trying to go to their
third straight Final Four. The Fighting Irish
handily defeated Iowa 74-57 to advance to
the Sweet 16. Big East Player of the Year senior point guard Skylar Diggins (16.8 points
per game) and junior guard Kayla McBride
(16 points per game) have been a dynamic
duo to lead the Irish to a 28 game winning streak coming into Sunday’s matchup

against Kansas. The Jayhawks (20-13) are
the second No. 12 seed to ever advance to
the Sweet 16. San Francisco was the last to
do it in 1996. Kansas is led by Carolyn Davis
who has been stellar all season. This will be
the second straight Sweet 16 appearance for
the Jayhawks who look to pull off the virtually impossible; defeat the Irish. Monica
Engleman has gotten hot at the right time,
averaging 18.5 points per game through two
tournament games. Kansas has three players on the current roster in the 1,000 point
club, so scoring should not be a problem for
the experience heavy team. Notre Dame has
the advantage in just about every statistical
category in comparison to Kansas but the
matchup will be a physical one. The teams
will duke it out Sunday at 12:04 p.m.
Speaking of “duking it out,” the Blue Devils (32-2) from Raleigh, North Carolina will
be in the second matchup of the day. The
No. 2 seeded Duke team is led by hometown star Elizabeth Williams. A Princess
Anne graduate, Williams has been an integral part in the success of the team, registering double figures in the last 22 games. The
Blue Devils have experienced heart break
over the past three years, coming within one
win of the Final Four but falling just short
in each year’s contest. Nebraska (25-8) has
another agenda for the way Sunday will go.
The Cornhuskers come in to the game led
by Jordan Hooper (17.7 points per game).
Nebraska was able to defeat the 2011 National Champion Aggies from Texas A&M

74-63. The game will follow the conclusion
of the Notre Dame-Kansas game at approximately 2:30 p.m.
We don’t know how these matchups will

end, but one thing for certain is that there
will be fireworks inside the Ted Sunday and
Tuesday, providing us with nothing short
of a thrill. The winners of the two games

will meet in the regional final on Tuesday
at 7 p.m. For ticket information, go to www.
ynotix.com

Men’s tennis team is now ranked sixtieth overall in the
international tennis association polls.

ODU men’s golf team finishes eighth at the Seahawk Intercollegiate at the CC Landfall dye course.
Lady monarchs rowing team raced the University of
North Carolina rowing team and defeated them by nearly
eight seconds.

at Campbell
at James Madison*
at James Madison*
at James Madison*
vs. Richmond
at Hofstra*
at Hofstra*
at Hofstra*
at Liberty
at Virginia
vs. William & Mary*
vs. William & Mary*
vs. William & Mary*

MARVELOUS MICROWAVABLE MEALS
can substitute any type of meat or cheese to
spice it up as well.

By: Emma Needham
Staff Writer
Mace & Crown

Living in a dorm can be tough in terms of
food. Yes, you get to store snacks galore and
go to the cafeteria whenever you are hungry,
but don’t you wish you could ever just make
a great meal in your dorm? Well, now you
can, all with the help of a microwave. Here
are some recipes for students containing
only ingredients and a microwave.
Breakfast- Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup and two Tbsp. skim milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions
Mix together oats and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for one to two
minutes, stirring once. Add more milk or
oats to achieve the desired consistency and
then cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir
in pumpkin puree and cinnamon, sugar and
any other additional spices. Microwave for
another 15 seconds and enjoy.
Lunch- Frittata
Ingredients
One-teaspoon olive oil
One-fourth cup chopped onion
One-fourth cup chopped red pepper

One-fourth cup broccoli
Two eggs
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
Cover and microwave on high for 20 to 30
seconds or until melted. Add onion, red
pepper and broccoli. Cover and microwave
on high for one minute. Stir in eggs, salt and
pepper. Cover and cook on high for one to

two minutes or until a knife inserted near the
center comes out clean. Let stand for about
three minutes, so the frittata can set.
Dinner- Turkey Quesadillas
Ingredients
12 oz. cooked turkey, cut in strips or cubes
Eight (eight-inch) flour tortillas
Two cups cheddar cheese, grated
One cup green onion, chopped

Ask Meghan
By: Meghan Larson
Contributing Writer
Mace & Crown
“Ask Meghan” is an advice columnist
ready to listen and help you with all of your
dilemmas. All posts are made anonymous,
and if you wish to write in and you have a
Facebook, search “ODU Advice” and “like”
the page. There is a link you can click on the
page to submit your anonymous questions.
If you don’t have a Facebook, you can send
in a question via SurveyMonkey.com/RPCY7VY.
Question: One of my suite mates and I
are both seniors about to graduate. I’ve had
a lot of mental breakdowns lately, because
I’m stressed about what I’m going to do
afterwards. My family lives on a totally different continent, so it’s hard not to have that
strong support system here. The other day,
I heard my roommate crying and I don’t
know whether I should say something or
not. I want them to know that I can probably
relate to whatever they’re feeling, but at the

same time I don’t want to seem nosy.
-Scared Senior
Answer: Let me start by saying, I feel
your pain. Post-graduation plans can be very
stressful and I assure you that you are not
alone.
My advice to you is instead of coming out
and telling your roommate you heard them
crying and try to open up to them yourself
to make them feel more comfortable. For
example, say something along the lines of,
“I have been stressing so much about school
lately...and graduation is so soon! I almost
feel defeated sometimes thinking about
knowing the right thing to do after I get out
of here. You know what I mean?” By saying
this, you are confiding in your roommate
with something personal, so even if they
weren’t crying about the same topic, they
may eventually feel more comfortable telling you something personal about them.
They will find it important that you trust
them enough to tell them things that you
don’t normally. If you make this a pattern,
your roommate will eventually open up and

maybe you guys will be your own support
system.
Best of luck! Write in and tell me how it
goes!
Question: “My ex-best friend is a guy
and he’s had feelings for me since we met
like a year and half ago. There has been a
lot of drama and we did have sex one night
after getting drunk. I was going to go on
a date with him a couple times, but it just
didn’t work out because I freaked. I know
that I played with his feelings, but I didn’t
do it on purpose. After we had sex, we had
a pregnancy scare and that was the second
time I told him I wanted to go on a date with
him, but he moved really fast and I freaked
again. He got mad, of course, and he posted
on Tumblr, “At this point I hope to god you
don’t have my kid. If you don’t even like me,
it would be horrible to be the father of your
child.” He won’t take it down, and needless
to say, we aren’t friends anymore. I just wish
there was a way he would change his mind
about keeping the post up, because that was
really low of him to post that.”

One-fourth cup canned jalapeno chile
One cup of salsa
Directions
Sprinkle four tortillas with turkey, cheese,
green onion and chilies. Drizzle salsa over
top. Cover with the other tortilla. Microwave
on high for one to two minutes each, until
the cheese is melted and the turkey is heated.
Serve with salsa, cheese, sour cream, tomato,
guacamole or any other desired topping. You
-Toxic Tumblr
Answer: I’m sorry that you had to go
through that, but it’s important to remember that you are the bigger person here. He
sounds very immature to be posting such
private matters on Tumblr.
My Advice: If it really bothers you that
much, try contacting Tumblr by sending
an email to support@tumblr.com. I suggest
that you put something in the subject line
such as “harassment.” Give a description of
the specific post and a link to his Tumblr
page. They should be able to do something
about it. However, if you don’t want to go
that route, then I suggest coming to terms
with the situation. Eventually, he will grow
up and realize that his post is childish and
unattractive. Plus, no other girl is going to
like seeing a guy’s page with so much baggage displayed out in front of them. It’s important to remember that what’s happened
is happened. You may not be able to change
that he put that post up, but you can control
how you deal with it.
Hopefully this helps. Write back again
soon and let me know how it went. I would
love a follow-up post.
Best of luck!
Question: “Should I confront my suite
mate on her shower habits, because she only
takes a shower once a week and it shows, but
I don’t want her to get mad at me for saying

Dessert- Cookies and Cream Mug
Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
Five and one half tablespoon flour
Four tablespoon sugar
One-eighth teaspoon baking powder
One egg
Three tablespoon milk
Three tablespoon oil
Two Oreos
For the frosting:
One cup of heavy whipped cream
Two and one half tablespoon sugar
Three Oreos, crushed into fine pieces
Directions
Mix all ingredients for the cake in an oversized mug except the Oreos. After batter is
smooth, add in the Oreos and crush Oreos
into batter with a metal spoon. Cook for approximately one 1/2 minutes in microwave,
then check on middle of cake. If not done,
cook for another 20 seconds. Careful, not to
overcook or cake becomes rubbery. While
the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Whip
the heavy cream and sugar. After the heavy
cream becomes thick and forms peaks, gently fold in the crushed Oreos.
Enjoy your home-made dorm room
meal!

something.”
Disgusted Roommate
Answer: Wow, this is a tough one. Maybe
the best thing to do is tell your suite mate
that you think you might smell, but can’t really tell. Tell them you just got a new deodorant and you don’t know if it’s working properly then say, you want them to try it out too
so you can see if it’s “you” or the deodorant.
This might help mask the smell a little.
You can even go a step further and give
them a “gift” of a new soap that is supposed
to hydrate your skin best when you use it at
least 3 times a week. I know this isn’t every
day, but it’s a baby step.
However, if you are close with your suite
mate, maybe it’s best to tell them in a nice
way privately, because if it was me, I would
want to know. Tell them how you keep odor
away easily by making sure to keep up with
hygiene. And remember to be sensitive, because you want to make sure that you are
conveying that you’re not insulting them,
but helping them.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

D2 | Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN

By: Rachel Chasin
Staff Photographer
Mace & Crown
I’m Jewish. And part of my family died
during the Holocaust. I have always known
this, but my family and I never knew how
or when. I had been told all my life that they
were sent to the gas chambers at AuschwitzBirkenau. But I found out this wasn’t the
case. This past spring break I travelled with

ODU students to study abroad in both
France and Poland. The trip covered the
French aspect of the Holocaust.
We began in Paris, France studying the
Shoah, what the French call the Holocaust.
The Memorial de la Shoah impacted me the
most when we were in France. We went into
a room where a giant Star of David stood, a
great symbol of Judaism. The star was filled
with ashes of those who died in the Holocaust. I thought to myself, could my family

Crown Jewels
By. Brian Jerry
Senior Writer
Mace & Crown
Hilarious really doesn’t do this story justice. The last time I checked, this was the first
week of April. But apparently Maria Shriver
didn’t get that memo. So, we’re rewarding
her neighbors for telling her themselves.
Well, at least they’re trying.
The 57-year old American journalist and
author of six best-selling books is known for
her highly public separation from actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But did anyone not
tell her to flip her calendar over to 2013?
Shriver’s Brentwood, Los Angeles neighbors
are asking her to take down her Christmas
tree lights that have been up for more than
100 days.
TMZ broke the story about the neighbors “clucking about Maria’s ultra-bright
Xmas light display for weeks now… because
Christmas is long over, and the lights on the

trees around her property have become an
eyesore.” They have not told her yet because
they like her and don’t want to hurt her feelings. Sorry, I actually had to type that with a
straight face.
Look guys, I understand you’d like to
protect her feelings but as the saying goes,
“closed horses don’t get bred,” or whatever.
But the point being is if the neighbors truly
want to ring in the New Year officially, then
they’re going to have to confront her very
soon. The last time I checked, we’re just
eight months away from December and
they don’t want to give her another excuse to
keep them up.
So here is to Shriver’s neighbors, take the
jewels for at least bringing it to our attention.
But “aghhh, say something.”
Mace Spray:
Wow, just wow guys and gals. I don’t
think I really have words for this one. But I’ll
try anyway. The Bieb-ster has made head-

members be in there? The star was beautiful
because it was a way of peacefully remembering the ones that were lost. You weren’t
being exposed to blood and gore, or photos
with saddened faces. It was simple. It was
beautiful.
On March 12, we arrived in Kraków, Poland. I will never forget this date. We spent
the afternoon on a walking tour of Kraków.
Later in the evening, Professor Edyta Gawron gave us a brief history of Jewish life in

lines once again. Unfortunately for him,
there’s no beauty in it. Just a beast.
Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial seven-day entertainment news media
rock, Justin Bieber was caught in a bit of a
ruckus situation. One of the 19-year old pop
singer’s neighbors claimed the singer was
tearing through their Calabas, California
community last week at speeds approaching
100 miles an hour, and when the neighbor
confronted Bieber he allegedly spit in his
face and threatened to kill him, according to
TMZ. The neighbor wants Beiber prosecuted and will fully cooperate with authorities
during the investigation.
Like I said, wow. I would love to say
that this surprises me, but it really doesn’t.
Bieber’s sudden erratic behavior has skewed
peoples’ view of him, including yours truly.
This guy just seems to dig himself an even
deeper hole each time he graces a headline.
But that still doesn’t exempt his actions. And
for that buddy, you’re getting it right between the eyes. I hope it stings really bad and
that you don’t find a clean spot on your shirt
to alleviate the pain for hours.

Kraków past and present. When she finished I asked her how I could find more
information about my family. She gave me
a website, which I immediately texted to my
mom, a genealogist.
My family lived in Rzepienik, a ghetto
located in Galicia, Poland. My mom texted
me back almost an hour later, with news.
This was it; I was going to finally know what
happened. 364 people were murdered by
the Nazis on August 11, 1942. They were

taken in groups of 10 to a nearby forest and
shot. Not once were they given a chance to
survive.
They were: Chana Nemeth my greatgreat grandmother, Henna Stammler my
great-great aunt and her husband, Chaim
Greenfader, and their daughter Miriam and
her husband Simcha Grossman.
After receiving this information from my
mom, I found my way to my room and cried.
Two days later we visited AuschwitzBirkenau. It was hard and emotional. Several
of the former barracks have been turned into
museums for each country that had people
die there. We visited the French building.
Taking a moment to rest, I leaned up
against the windowsill and looked out upon
the rest of Auschwitz. My emotions intensified. Tears began pouring out of my eyes. I
was standing where many others stood before me, and died. A window in the building
across from me began to open and shut. I
don’t know if it was the wind, or someone
was messing with it. But it reminded me of
so many things we take for granted. We use
windows to see out of, and most of time it’s
to see the beauty of the world. But many
would ask what beauty can be found at Auschwitz? Hope.
I’ve been inside the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. A Jew stepped into a gas
chamber and came back out, physically unharmed. But not emotionally. It was surreal.
Even though part of my family lost to the
Nazis, I won. Hitler wanted to exterminate
the Jewish people and have everyone forget
about them. I won because I found out how
my family died. They will never be able to
take that away from me. Like the many others who were murdered, and those that survived, they will never be forgotten.
There is a memorial at the edge of Dabry
Forest, where my family had been taken. I
plan to go there as soon as I can. I will leave
a rock at their shared tombstone, because in
the Jewish culture you never leave flowers.
There are several reasons for this tradition,
but I think the one deemed most appropriate for this story is that rocks never die. A
reminder, a lasting moment in time, where
you never forget. Now, isn’t that beautiful?

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | D3

An Ode to Employment

A FINAL FAREWELL TO TWO LONG YEARS
By: Megan Jefferson
Editor-in-Chief
Mace & Crown
I will be stepping down as Editor-in-Chief starting April 1. Derek Page will be the Editor-in-Chief as
previously stated in last week’s address. I was offered a
wonderful position at a graphics company and could
not turn the offer down. Although no one at this university loves working for the Mace more than I do, I had to
make the adult decision and step down. It is important
to look into the future and always stay two steps ahead of
yourself. I knew I was graduating and planned to have a
full time job before I walked across the stage. I just hoped
it wouldn’t be this soon.
I am grateful for the opportunities that this paper
has given me. I have worked with wonderful people
throughout the two years I have been employed at the
Mace. At the top of my list is Nicole Kiger. She has been
my guiding light through out running this highly successful organization. With out her help, I have no idea if I
would have survived this past year.
Nicole and Dr. Hoffmann were the two best advisors anyone could ask for. Dr. Hoffmann taught me how
to write news stories and I think she did a pretty good
job. She is still teaching me when to use “me” or “I” but
I don’t know if I will ever figure that out. Nothing stuck
more with me than when Dr. Hoffmann complimented
me after laboring over the paper. She always knew the
right thing to say to make all the suffering worth it. Nicole always helped me achieve everything I was trying
to do at the paper. I thank her for coming to our Harlem
Shake taping and bring her son to let us corrupt. It was a
blast working with the both of you.
I want to thank Keisha and Sharon in OSAL for letting James and I bother them all summer long about
budgets and what ever nonsense I had planned.
My staff has been my rock to stand on through out
this past year. Jessica Starr, Alyssa Narvell, Derek Page,
James Porter II, Jimmy Long, Ellison Gregg, Jordan
Jones, Allison Terres, Megan Stamper, Ben Decowski,
Steven Knauer, DeAngelo Thorpe, and Elaina Ellis. You
all were such great student leaders and essential to the
production of the paper each week.

I would especially like to thank James Porter II for
being my “co-editor-in-chief.” He helped me make the
tough decisions. James is by far the most interesting
individual I have ever met. I will never get bored of his
stories. He is a wonderful advertising director and friend.
Alyssa Narvell and Jessica Starr have been wonderful
co-workers and friends through out my entire employment at the Mace. These two girls have put in just as
much time producing this paper as I have. They are excellent at their positions and the paper is better because
of it.
I want to thank Ellison Gregg and Jimmy Long for
putting up with all my last minute changes to the mock
every weekend. You two are troopers and always have
your back against the deadlines. I appreciate all the wonderful things you have brought to this paper. You are
both masters of your craft.
Sean Burke, I really loved being on the podcast every week. I will miss rambling on with you about topics
loosely related to the paper. I hope you find a podcast
companion to finish out the rest of the year. Mic checks
were my favorite and I will cherish the April Fool’s podcast forever. I wish you the best of luck in your future at
the Mace. You are a very dedicated writer and a very determined individual.
Brian Jerry, you’re crazy but it works. I loved editing
your Crown Jewels every week. You have a character in
your writing and it is such a joy to read. Keep on loving
ODU baseball. You are their number one fan.
Derek Page, Jordan Jones, James Porter II and Ellison
Gregg, you are the ones who will carry this paper into
the future. You will be the returning staff for next year.
Remember that. This paper is yours to mold into what
fits best for this university. Keep your eyes open for talent and never turn anyone away. There are stories everywhere on campus. I trust that you will keep this paper
going in the direction that I have planned for it.
To all our writers, without you there would be no paper. You are the ones that make our paper every week.
You are the face of the Mace & Crown. You interact with
the public and generate story leads. There are always
places to advance your experience at the paper. Remember that. Especially because we are hiring and your time
could be now.

Lastly, I would like to leave a few notes for Derek. Always be understanding and a friend to our writers. This
is a learning experience and no one is perfect. As an Editor-in-Chief, you develop your leadership skills. You will
learn to balance a hundred different things at one time.
By no means did I get everything right the first time but
I figured it out eventually. This job is VERY stressful at
times but I trust that you will figure it out. Most importantly, put everyone’s number in your dang phone!
It is truly heartbreaking that I have to leave the paper

Fans of Video Games
are a Little Crazy…
in a Good Way
By: Sean Burke
Assistant Webmaster
Mace & Crown

One of the unique factors in video games
that many people do not take into consideration while playing them, is how much that
medium affects other media. Games affect
other games, movies, TV, art and cosplay
have spawned entire conventions in honor
of the art itself, or individual games. The
game industry today is much like the comic
and movie industry in its ability to inspire a
fan base to action.
A fan of “The Godfather” can recite every

line, a fan of “X-Men” can keep track of the
alternate universes within the fiction without missing a beat, and a fan of Wiz Khalifa
will know the lyrics to most of his songs and
the history of how he started his career. I
would make the argument that fans of video
games are slightly crazier than the average
fan of any other media, because games are
more immersive than movies, books, TV
and music by instilling a larger impact on the
player. This impact can influence a variety of
actions, such as cosplay.
Cosplay is literally costume-role-playing.
People become attached to the character
that they have played or interacted with in a

story of a video game and will then seek to
emulate the appearance and behavior of the
character by fabricating elaborate costumes
and adopting a character’s personality while
wearing them. This industry is still fairly
young, but it’s growing rapidly. Cosplayers,
like Jessica Nigiri, are being picked up by
marketing divisions to be the face of upcoming games or being recruited into the development of future games.
Where do the cosplayers go? Conventions or “cons,” of course. Gaming has
spawned a multitude of conventions all
around the world and has taken over conventions that were previously reserved for

before my time was up. As I was telling Nicole, I was really looking forward to spending the rest of the budget.
There is nothing more satisfying than opening a box
with a new computer inside.
Special thanks to Diane Dougherty, Matthew McCracken, Kyle White, Ben Decowski and Justin Brown.
It was you all that got me hooked on the paper in the first
place. I thank you for that.
Meggie Jeff, out.

other media. Comic Con is a good example
of how gaming can overpower another media like comics. At San Diego’s Comic Con
in 2012, seven highly expected releases such
as “Zombie-U,” “Fortnite” and “The Unfinished Swan” were either announced or had
a decent amount of face-time on the show
floor or in an exhibit hall.
Not only have games taken over other
events, but they have been the center of their
own conventions such as Penny Arcade
Expo (PAX), PAX East, Gamescom, RTX,
MAGFest and California Extreme. Many of
these are sponsored by companies that put
on the events such as Penny Arcade, which is
a games culture comedy website that started
a convention in their hometown of Seattle
and later expanded to include a convention
in Boston and soon Australia.
But wait, there’s more! It’s not enough
that enthusiast based companies have started their own conventions that have grown to
be larger than intended, but game development companies are falling into the practice
of having events that last for three to four
days that fans can buy tickets to and calling

them conventions.
Obviously, I am down on this concept,
mainly because I believe it fractures the
gaming community by creating ideologically stiffened fan basses on two sides of a
property. However, the events tend to be
immensely popular. BlizzCon, a Blizzard
(creators of World of Warcraft) convention,
drew upwards of 15,000 fans. As developers
hold conventions, attendees are likely to get
the scoop on new information concerning
the properties of the studio. Blizzard held
tournaments in “Star Craft II” at its events,
and also released information on Diablo 3
before the rest of the world knew at its convention 2011.
Gaming has also spawned new business
such as Rooster Teeth, as discussed in last
week’s column by yours truly, and also entire
news networks devoted to the media, such
as IGN or GiantBomb, which host their
own podcasts, videos, articles and merchandise. Gaming has even affected particular
columns in your favorite local school newspaper.

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | E1

MACEANDCROWN.COM

CREATIVE ENCLAVE
Holocaust Poems-Rachel Chasin
Candle by Candle

My Family

The Forrest

Friday nights were my favorite
But this one was different
We didn’t gather around the table
My father came and went
The candles were barely lit
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
At the door
Lots of blood and gore
Red & black
Red & black
I will never be able to go back
Yanking my arm until it was mush
PUSH, PUSH, PUSH
We stumbled upon a secret
A secret so secret
Not even the stars in the heaven knew
I asked where G-d was
For surely he would help us
NO, NO, NO
We cried out to him
But no help came
In a group we went
murder, murder, murder
Into death’s daunting darkness

Screams, Screams
Children crying
Dead of night
I’m just lying
This just means
The reich is coming
10 by 10
We went
With nothing
1 by 1 we laid down
Round by Round

The trees saw everything
Swaying in the wind
They talked to each other
Down came the leaves
The crunch beneath my feet
We were given nothing to eat
Flakes are falling
I’ve fallen
Now I’m crawling
To the early mist of the dawn of the day
Where everyone is wondering
WHY? WHY? WHY?
We never even said good bye
The humiliation is upon us
Oh how I long for those hot summer days
Birthdays were the best
They call me a pest
But I know in the far off distance
I can hear mama’s praise
Our existence
Is no more
To this war
We got our State
But now without loss
Or heart ache

Slowdown
By: Will Wilson
Take your time and see,
pay attention to the world around you—
that’s not a rock...it’s a piece of the earth,
spit from its mouth when it sneezed a fireball;
that’s not a leaf...it’s free of burden—
it no longer is required to look pretty,
now it will feed another life
because it’s broken down;
that’s not a computer—
it’s a connection of minds overtime
coming together to advance civilization,
make it more efficient...
it’s a curse
which has sped up the world
on a fast moving web. And that’s how things are:
always on the move
always trying to get faster—
be the fastest thing
created. Lightning. To be fast and no other way;
until it becomes a problem to be a second
slower than the competition....That’s a “No, No!”
Create your own space:
a section
of the world
you can
call your own.
Sit there
for awhile

Student dressed up as a new character from Pixar’s new movie, “The Croods” at the comic
convention held in Webb on Saturday.

ODU student plays the guitar and sings at performances on campus.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

Wednesday 4.3.2013 | MACE & CROWN | F3

ODU students dressed up as their favorite character from the web comic, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Homestuckâ&#x20AC;? at Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comic convention in Webb.

St. John Episcopalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Easter Vigil on Sunday in Portsmouth.

Summer Study
In The Sun.
Advance your academic progress without
giving up your summer.
Coastal Carolina University offers four flexible sessions
for an array of undergraduate, graduate and study
abroad courses for both enrolled and visiting
students. The Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close proximity to the
Myrtle Beach resort area allows for serious
study without giving up opportunities
for summer jobs and summer fun.

The Sixth Annual Institute for Learning In Retirement Art Exhibit Opening Reception
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm in the Atrium.
This event is Free and Open to the Public
Exhibit runs April 2-30, 2013
Come meet the professional and self-taught ILR artists at the reception.
National Poetry Month Celebration by Old Dominion University: Featuring Tim
Seibles and Philip Raisor
Thursday, April 4, 2013 from 12:30 - 1:30 pm live from ODU Virginia Beach Lecture Hall,
Room 244.
Readings also televised to:
ODU - Peninsula Center in Hampton
ODU - Tri-Cities Center in Portsmouth
This event is Free and Open to the Public
Book sales provided by the University Village Bookstore. Book signing and reception to follow at the Virginia Beach location.
Both with read from their new books: “Seibles’ Fast Animals and Raisor’s Swimming in the
Shallow End. Seibles and Raisor are widely published authors, and Seibles was a nominee for
the 2012 National Book Award in Poetry.
Visit his website: www.odu.edu/regionalcenters

INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS

Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Remembrance Reception
Yom HaShoah is the Holocaust Day of Remembrance. The reception will feature guest
speaker Jay M. Ipson, holocaust survivor from the Kovno ghetto in Lithuania and Co-founder and Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, VA.
This program aims to educate the community on the history of the holocaust in order to prevent future genocides.a
For more information, contact Office of Intercultural Relations at (757) 683-4406, oir@odu.
edu, or odu.edu/oir
Monday, April 8
12-1:30pm
Hampton/Newport News Room,
Webb University Center
Open to the public

ODU NIGHT AT NORFOLK TIDES
Saturday, April 13 at 7:05 p.m.
The Norfolk Tides are proud to invite all ODU students to enjoy a night of Tides baseball at
Harbor Park. The night will include contests, music, and a few ODU surprises! Come out
and show your ODU Spirit!
TICKET ONLY ($6 EACH):
All ODU students can purchase discounted tickets for this special game. Enter the ODU
Night Promo Code ODUSTUDENT.
TICKET & PICNIC ($21.05 EACH):
This special offer includes both a ticket to the game and delicious food in Harbor Park’s picnic
area. Food service begins at 7:20 PM and ends at 8:50 PM. Enter the ODU Night Promo
Code STUDENTPICNIC.
The picnic menu includes the following:
· Hamburgers
· All-You-Can-Eat Hot Dogs
· Potato Salad
· Potato Chips
· Cookies
· Watermelon
· Soft Drinks
Get tickets at www.tidesgroups.com. On the following screen, the site will ask for your seating
preference. Please select “Third Base” since your seats will be on the Third Base side.

MACEANDCROWN.COM

UPCOMING EVENTS
April 3rd - April 12th
Ad sponsored by:

Office of Student Activities & Leadership
Want to see your event on this page?
E-mail Andrew Fortman at AFortman@odu.edu for details.

Business and Arts & letters Job
search strategies
April 4th, 2013 8:00 PM
North Cafe
Learn about the various strategies that they can
Management Center, Job Boards, Social Media, Networking etc
CMC / jmccord@odu.edu